Carpool

Lead-in

  • How many cars have you had in your lifetime?
  • Which one was your favorite? Why?
  • What are some car parts you know? What is each part used for?

Presentation

Pre

  • Talk about about the first time you carpooled. 

Top Down

  • What is carpool? Read the text and find out.
  • Sharing the price of a car.
  • Not driving cars anymore.
  • An arrangement in which people commute together by car.
  • The act of renting a vehicle.
  • Sharing the price of a car.
  • Not driving cars anymore.
  • An arrangement in which people commute together by car.
  • The act of renting a vehicle.

8 Pros and Cons of Carpooling

Carpooling is an effective way to cut down on the amount of traffic that occurs during the daily commute. It allows workers who live near each other and work at the same office or within the same area of the city to pool their resources so that commuting expenses can be saved. The obvious downside of carpooling is that there isn’t any alone time to decompress from a stressful day. In evaluating the pros and cons of carpooling, here are some of the other key points to consider.

  • The Pros of Carpooling

1. It helps to limit carbon emissions.
Fewer vehicles on the road mean that there is less exhaust being produced. Carbon emissions from vehicles are a major contributor to greenhouse gases that could be affecting environmental patterns. By have 2-3 co-workers in the same vehicle, you’re taking 2-3 vehicles off of the road every day.

2. It can make the commute faster.
Many urban centers offer a driving advantage to those who carpool. A separate lane is reserved for those with multiple people in the vehicle so that the logjam of traffic can sometimes be avoided. Severe financial penalties are imposed for those who attempt to violate the carpool lane as well so that the lane can stay clear. Although you may not want to arrive at work more quickly, carpooling provides this opportunity.

3. Fuel costs can be minimized.
When gasoline prices in the United States hovering around $3 per gallon in many areas, it can easily be $60 per week in gas costs just to make it to work. If three people are carpooling together, however, that fueling cost can be cut down to $20 per person. When vehicles are rotated weekly in a carpool group, this allows for maintenance costs to be managed rather effectively as well.

4. It provides a social outlet for people.
Many people who work together don’t realize that they live near each other. By starting a carpooling group, many new friendships can be formed so that there is a social outlet for people outside of work. Sometimes it can be nice to share complaints or frustrations about work outside of the professional environment and carpooling provides that opportunity in a safe environment. Many carpooling groups also form outside social groups that become close friendships.

  • The Cons of Carpooling

1. You can’t always leave work when you’re ready to leave work.
Carpooling requires everyone in the vehicle to be ready to leave at the same time. If you’ve got an early afternoon planned with the family and it’s your week to be in the carpool, then you might be forced to stay at work until everyone else is released from their duties. If someone is running late at work with a project, then everyone is forced to stay behind and wait.

2. There are no quiet moments.
There is always something going on during a commute when carpooling. Someone’s phone may ring or there may be side discussions going on that wouldn’t be happening if the commute was happening solo. Even in silence, there is the sound of others breathing that can be somewhat disturbing to some individuals. It’s nice to be social, but it’s also nice to be alone sometimes as well.

3. There may be costs or fees associated with carpooling.
In an effort to raise money, some urban centers are converting carpooling lanes into toll lanes or express lanes. This means to access the faster lane, there may be added charges to the commute to make it faster. Although these costs can be split amongst everyone, it is still an added cost that not every carpooling group is going to want to take on.

4. There are still environmental consequences that may occur.
Even though there are fewer vehicles on the road, there are still environmental consequences that may occur from the use of a vehicle for carpooling. Even electric vehicles may be powered by energy that was generated by fossil fuels. Although this key point may not be relevant for all, it does have a bearing on some discussions.

Modified from source

Bottom Up

  • True or False?

Example: There are still environmental consequences that may occur. True

  1. Carpooling allows workers to save some expenses.
  2. One negative point of carpooling is that there isn’t any alone time to decompress from a relaxing day.
  3. One of the cons of carpooling is that it helps to limit carbon emissions.
  4.  It’s a guaranteed way of making friends.
  5. It’s illegal to have costs or fees associated with carpooling.
  1. Carpooling allows workers to save some expenses. True
  2. One negative point of carpooling is that there isn’t any alone time to decompress from a relaxing day. False
  3. One of the cons of carpooling is that it helps to limit carbon emissions. False
  4.  It’s a guaranteed way of making friends. False
  5. It’s illegal to have costs or fees associated with carpooling. False

Post

  • Which pro do you think is more relevant? Why?
  • What about the con? Why?
  • What is another pro and con you would add to the text?
  • Do you think you will be carpooling more from now on? Why or why not?

Target Language

Future Continuous

The Future Continuous is used to discuss actions that will be in progress in a certain time in the future. It follows the structure will + be + verb (ing).

  • Jane has informed that she won’t be attending our group meeting this week.
  • Next summer I’ll be travelling abroad for the first time. I’m so excited.
  • Gee I don’t know… We’ll probably be studying for the test on Wednesday night.

 

Sustainable Practices

Controlled Practice

  • Use Future continuous to modify these sentences.

Example: Rick speaks English. > Rick will be speaking English.

  1. Cris saves water.
  2. Amelia travels by public transport.
  3. They separate the trash.
  4. Emerson avoids disposable items.
  1. Guilherme uses rechargeable batteries.
  2. Charlotte composts food waste.
  3. You carpool.
  4. Maria Luisa rides a bike.
  1. Cris will be saving water.
  2. Amelia will be traveling by public transport.
  3. They will be separating the trash.
  4. Emerson will be avoiding disposable items.
  1. Guilherme will be using rechargeable batteries.
  2. Charlotte will be composting food waste.
  3. You will be carpooling.
  4. Maria Luisa will be riding a bike.

Freer Practice

  • Complete the sentences according to your own ideas.
    • I believe I will be…
    • A couple of months from now Brazilians will be…
    • One thing I will never be doing is…
    • Caring for the environment is important because we will… 
    • A year from now I will be… Because…

Production

  • Think about the sustainable practices you know and say what will you do to improve or start practicing them. Talk about it using the Target Language.

Example: I will be saving water by taking short showers and…

Homework

Connect the words from the first column with their meanings. There is one example.

  1. Carpool

  2. Compost

  3. Rechargeable

  4. Disposable

  5. Avoid

  6. Waste

(   ) Keep away from.

(   ) Intended to be used once, or until no longer useful, and then thrown away.

(   ) Decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer.

(   ) An arrangement between people to make a regular journey in a single vehicle.

(6) (Of a material, substance, or byproduct) eliminated or discarded as no longer useful or required after the completion of a process.

(   ) Able to have its electrical energy restored by connection to a power supply.

  1. Carpool

  2. Compost

  3. Rechargeable

  4. Disposable

  5. Avoid

  6. Waste

(5) Keep away from.

(4) Intended to be used once, or until no longer useful, and then thrown away.

(2) Decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer.

(1) An arrangement between people to make a regular journey in a single vehicle.

(6) (Of a material, substance, or byproduct) eliminated or discarded as no longer useful or required after the completion of a process.

(3) Able to have its electrical energy restored by connection to a power supply.

Use the words from the previous exercise to complete the following sentences.

Example: When it rains, water washes the accumulated ____ into the water sources. > When it rains, water washes the accumulated waste into the water sources.

  1. Public transportation or a _____ might help reduce the stress of navigating traffic.
  2. A built-in, ____ lithium-polymer battery provides up to 16 hours of continuous high-fidelity music playback.
  3. One baby’s ____ nappies can fill 40 bin liners, or 12 wheelie bins each year.
  4. Eat meals with low-fat content, and ____ coffee, chocolate, milk, alcohol, nicotine and tomatoes.
  5. You can use the grindings for mulch, or let the pile ____ for use later as a soil amendment.
  1. Public transportation or a carpool might help reduce the stress of navigating traffic.
  2. A built-in, rechargeable lithium-polymer battery provides up to 16 hours of continuous high-fidelity music playback.
  3. One baby’s disposable nappies can fill 40 bin liners, or 12 wheelie bins each year.
  4. Eat meals with low-fat content, and avoid coffee, chocolate, milk, alcohol, nicotine and tomatoes.
  5. You can use the grindings for mulch, or let the pile compost for use later as a soil amendment.

Use future continuous to modify these sentences.

Example: Diego walks fast. > Diego will be walking fast.

  1. You talk to a person in your own age group, and the service is totally confidential.
  2. His kids cry as much as mine.
  3. If he actually weighs 110kg he eats 3,080 calories to maintain his extra flesh.
  4. Flavia waits to see her granddaughter.
  5. They work every day until 10 p.m. 
  1. You will be talking to a person in your own age group, and the service is totally confidential.
  2. His kids will be crying as much as mine.
  3. If he actually weighs 110kg he will be eating 3,080 calories to maintain his extra flesh.
  4. Flavia will be waiting to see her granddaughter.
  5. They will be working every day until 10 p.m. 

Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.

Example: footballers / traveled / to / transport. / by / public / era / of / training / when / speak / an / facilities / The > The facilities speak of an era when footballers traveled to training by public transport.

  1. a / a / it / our / bunch / kids / in / of / that / night, / so / the / class / were / carpool. / watching / In / fact, / formed / we
  2. exactly / mystery. / of / celluloid / intended / waste / complete / is / a / with / What / this / he / disgusting
  3. in / school / wormery / place / waste. / a / to / volume / The / compost / and / two / the / bins / now / for / cater / of / has
  4. of / promises / 100 / 200 / time. / stand-by / time / talk / minutes / and / battery / rechargeable / The / hours
  5. and / break / several / realised / After / a / to / months, / he / tried / how / ride / bike / a / of / unfit / he / was. / again
  1. In fact, a bunch of the kids in our class were watching it that night, so we formed a carpool.
  2. What exactly he intended with this disgusting waste of celluloid is a complete mystery.
  3. The school now has two compost bins and a wormery in place to cater for the volume of waste.
  4. The rechargeable battery promises 200 minutes of talk time and 100 hours stand-by time.
  5. After a break of several months, he tried to ride a bike again and realised how unfit he was.

Find and correct the mistakes.

Example: We will be geting the oil from below, and putting it in storage in mother earth. > We will be getting the oil from below, and putting it in storage in mother earth.

  1. Even workers with conditions such as claustrophobia who cannot use public transpport are not exempt.
  2. Sadly, he couldn’t ride bike, since it required sitting straight on the seat and pushing down on the pedals.
  3. The rechargeble torch won’t recharge, and the adding machine in my office is behaving strangely.
  4. John is a man on a mission to persuade more of us to conpost our garden and kichen waste.
  5. Much organizations are available to help employers set up an effective carpol program.
  1. Even workers with conditions such as claustrophobia who cannot use public transport are not exempt.
  2. Sadly, he couldn’t ride a bike, since it required sitting straight on the seat and pushing down on the pedals.
  3. The rechargeable torch won’t recharge, and the adding machine in my office is behaving strangely.
  4. John is a man on a mission to persuade more of us to compost our garden and kitchen waste.
  5. Many organizations are available to help employers set up an effective carpool program.

Writing

Write a flyer about the importance of sustainable practices for our future. Remember to use as much of the Target Language as possible.

Example: It’s really important to compost because in the future we will be…